Quality assurance inspector vs quality assurance associate

The differences between quality assurance inspectors and quality assurance associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a quality assurance associate has an average salary of $61,473, which is higher than the $36,842 average annual salary of a quality assurance inspector.

The top three skills for a quality assurance inspector include calipers, micrometers and corrective action. The most important skills for a quality assurance associate are excellent interpersonal, customer service, and GMP.

Quality assurance inspector vs quality assurance associate overview

	Quality Assurance Inspector	Quality Assurance Associate
Yearly salary	$36,842	$61,473
Hourly rate	$17.71	$29.55
Growth rate	-3%	3%
Number of jobs	74,410	62,324
Job satisfaction	3	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age	45	44
Years of experience	-	4

What does a quality assurance inspector do?

Quality Assurance Auditors are employees who ensure the adherence of other employees to company processes and guidelines. They are expected to be experts on quality assurance processes and procedures. They also have in-depth knowledge of the expected outcomes of such processes to ensure that the company only provides quality products and services. Quality assurance auditors are also familiar with regulatory laws and policies of governing bodies that oversee companies in their particular industry. They ensure that their companies are compliant and may conduct random quality checks every now and then.

What does a quality assurance associate do?

A quality assurance associate's role is to oversee the production operations in a manufacturing plant or a similar setting, ensuring quality standards throughout the entire process. Most of the time, a quality assurance associate must perform workforce assessments, provide training to new employees, produce or approve documentation and progress reports, and collaborate with colleagues to ensure that everything is running smoothly and complies with the company's policies and regulations. Furthermore, there are instances when one must address issues and concerns, providing them with the necessary corrective measures.

Quality assurance inspector vs quality assurance associate salary

Quality assurance inspectors and quality assurance associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Quality Assurance Inspector	Quality Assurance Associate
Average salary	$36,842	$61,473
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $49,000	Between $44,000 And $84,000
Highest paying City	Renton, WA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Washington	New York
Best paying company	Los Alamos National Laboratory	Citi
Best paying industry	Government	Pharmaceutical

Differences between quality assurance inspector and quality assurance associate education

There are a few differences between a quality assurance inspector and a quality assurance associate in terms of educational background:

	Quality Assurance Inspector	Quality Assurance Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	-	University of Pennsylvania

Quality assurance inspector vs quality assurance associate demographics

Here are the differences between quality assurance inspectors' and quality assurance associates' demographics:

	Quality Assurance Inspector	Quality Assurance Associate
Average age	45	44
Gender ratio	Male, 71.7% Female, 28.3%	Male, 48.3% Female, 51.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.2% Asian, 9.1% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	4%	11%

Differences between quality assurance inspector and quality assurance associate duties and responsibilities

Quality assurance inspector example responsibilities.

Coordinate joint surveys with SATORP inspectors and manage clearance of all issue active LBE and NCR.
Work with IPC and ISO regulations.
Examine parts for damage or excessive wear using micrometers and gauges and other specialize test equipment.
Measure dimensions of products to verify conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments such as rulers, calipers or micrometers.
Inspect and measure surgical steel medical devices for critical dimensions, checking tolerance using micrometers and calipers reading from blueprint designs.
Qualify coating systems and painters to ASTM standards.

Quality assurance associate example responsibilities.

Implement and manage the TrackWise QTS system to create, track and close action items.
Lead cross functional project team to build user-friendly windows base customer support applications which interface with the OmniPlan/OmniPlus mainframe application.
Review and facilitate documentation for the MRB process.
Revise production sheets for internal use and for the HACCP program.
Verify that SPC data is being correctly gather, record, and monitor.
Review and release batch records /control documents in a CGMP and ISO 9001 regulation.

Quality assurance inspector vs quality assurance associate skills

Common quality assurance inspector skills

Calipers, 7%
Micrometers, 6%
Corrective Action, 5%
Safety Standards, 5%
Inspection Reports, 4%
Quality Standards, 4%

Common quality assurance associate skills

Excellent Interpersonal, 30%
Customer Service, 14%
GMP, 5%
Quality System, 3%
FDA, 3%
PowerPoint, 3%

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Quality Assurance Inspector
Quality Assurance Inspector vs Quality Assurance Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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